Job Title:             Controls Engineer III

Reports To:         IT Supervisor/Manager

Job Status:          Exempt (Salaried)

Basic Job Functions:

Requires to take a lead and mentoring role in the site implementation and development of electrical controls systems/designs, PLC/HMI programing, perform vendor equipment check-out, equipment/system start-ups, data collection and troubleshooting plant control systems operational issues. 

Experience:

• Minimum 8 years of relevant experience in Mechatronics or PLCs and Mechanical/Electrical Engineering related disciplines.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field; or equivalent years of work experience.

Required Skills/Competencies:

• Excellent understanding/knowledge and experience in controls engineering techniques and practices which would be required for global facilities including North America, Asian, and European countries.
• Excellent understanding/knowledge and ability to trouble-shoot electrical/electronic control systems.
• Excellent understanding/knowledge of global manufacturing processes and safety requirements.
• Proven experience using Auto Desk AutoCad drafting software to create electrical schematic and panel layouts.
• Excellent understanding/knowledge programming of Rockwell Automation Logix platform PLC’s, including ladder and function block diagram.
• Excellent understanding/knowledge programming Rockwell Automation Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) including PanelView Plus, PanelView Plus CE, and Reviews SE.
• Excellent understanding/knowledge designing, programming, and commissioning at least two control network including ControlNet, DeviceNet, Profibus and/or Ethernet.
• Excellent understanding/knowledge of robotic systems including programming, safety requirements, and design/implementation practices.
• Excellent understanding/knowledge of motion controls including stepper motors, servo motors, and AC/DC Drives.
• Excellent understanding/knowledge of Cognex vision camera configuration and programming experience.
• Excellent understanding of computer hardware/applications and the Microsoft Office family.
• Experience and knowledge of working in server environment.
• Proven Microsoft SQL Server Database configuration experience.
• Experience in at least one multi-tiered architecture using C#, VB.NET, HTML, XML and SQL.
• Understanding/knowledge of Corporate Ethernet architectures and systems
• Excellent communications skills both oral and written.
• Excellent problem solving skills.
• Strong understanding/knowledge of writing project specifications and working with vendors.
• Demonstrated expertise and soft-skills at providing coaching and mentoring to develop and grow a team of junior controls engineers.
• Project management expertise demonstrated by successful track record managing multiple simultaneous projects involving 3-9+ person cross-functional teams to deliver technically complex solutions.

Essential Responsibilities:

Primary Responsibilities:

• Primarily responsible for line operations by carrying out troubleshooting and problem solving on equipment controls for all plants to ensure electronic controls issues are resolved on timely and accurate manner.
• Lead advanced troubleshooting and problem solving equipment controls to support line operations for prolonged tool downtime or when escalated to by other controls engineers
• Responsible for Incident Management and Service Requests.
• Involves in cross-functional troubleshooting efforts on major line support issues.
• Responsible for Problem management.
• Assure equipment control abnormalities are acted upon to investigate and resolve root causes.
• Develops corrective actions associated with Problem Investigations to prevent recurrence.
• Accountable for data availability uptime and communication between plant equipment & local PDR SQL database.
• Provide guidance and training to Control Technicians and junior Engineers.
• Responsible for Change Management including development, testing and promotion cycles.
• Responsible for technical and procedural documentation.
• Lead major projects for the site – including coordinating new equipment installation and implementation and rollouts on existing equipment; may involve external vendors. This is for high impact and/or high involvement projects.
• Involves in new proof of concept (POC) development tool installation for qualification process.
• Represent and ensure departments’ deliverables for the strategic improvement bundle program by local and/or global are executed on timely manner and quality.
• Be Subject Matter Expert and a reference in execution automation system technical knowledge, in the field of software development, data architectures, and data collection.
• Evaluate control system issues and drive solutions in collaboration with site quality, engineering and manufacturing as requested.
• Expected to initiate, identify, design and implements improvement projects.
• Evaluate new proposed controls equipment electrical design is according to MES General Electrical Specification.
• May be asked to lead and/or participate in local site programs as department representative.
• Expected to be on-call.

Controls Engineer I ( Automation )

Controls Engineer II ( Automation )

Controls Engineer III ( Automation )

Key Competencies:

• Manages provision of consultancy services, and/or management of a team of consultants. In own areas of expertise, provides advice and guidance to consultants and/or the client through involvement in the delivery of consultancy services. Engages with clients and maintains client relationships. Establishes agreements/contracts and manages completion and disengagement.

• Maintains an in-depth knowledge of specific technical specialisms, and provides expert advice regarding their application. Can supervise specialist technical consultancy. The specialism can be any aspect of information or communication technology, technique, method, and product or application area.
• Agrees research goals and generates original and worthwhile ideas in a specialized IT field. Develops, reviews and constructively criticizes ideas, possibly leading a small research team, making necessary observations and tests and carrying them through to a full practical demonstration, wherever viable and feasible. Where necessary, designs data collection tools and techniques for both qualitative and quantitative data. Presents papers at conferences, writes papers of publication quality, and presents reports to clients.
• Actively monitors for, and seeks, opportunities, new methods and trends in IT capabilities and products to the advancement of the organization. Clearly articulates, and formally reports their benefits.
• Monitors the market to gain knowledge and understanding of currently emerging technologies. Identifies new and emerging hardware and software technologies and products based on own area of expertise, assesses their relevance and potential value to the organization, contributes to briefings of staff and management.
• Specifies and designs large or complex systems. Selects appropriate design standards, methods and tools, consistent with agreed enterprise and solution architectures and ensures they are applied effectively. Reviews others’ systems designs to ensure selection of appropriate technology, efficient use of resources, and integration of multiple systems and technology. Contributes to policy for selection of architecture components. Evaluates and undertakes impact analysis on major design options and assesses and manages associated risks. Ensures that the system design balances functional, service quality and systems management requirements.
• Designs, codes, tests, corrects and documents large and/or complex programs and program modifications from supplied specifications using agreed standards and tools, to achieve a well-engineered result. Takes part in reviews of own work and leads reviews of colleagues’ work.
• Identifies and analyses hazards and contributes to the identification and evaluation of risk reduction measures, ensuring these are adequately documented. Specifies safety-related systems architectures up to the highest safety integrity levels. Develops and maintains project safety assurance plans, monitors compliance and ensures that safety assurance evidence is gathered for safety case preparation.
• Designs systems, services and components that meet required levels of sustainability and specific profiles of materials consumption.
• Coordinates and manages planning of the system and/or acceptance tests within a development or integration project or program. Takes responsibility for integrity of testing and acceptance activities and coordinates the execution of these activities. Provides authoritative advice and guidance on any aspect of test planning and execution. Defines and communicates the test strategy for the project. Manages all test processes, including test plans, resources, costs, timescales, test deliverables and traceability. Manages client relationships with respect to testing matters. Identifies process improvements, and contributes to corporate testing standards and definition of best practice.
• Advises on what to evaluate and type of evaluation. Ensures that the results of evaluations are understood by system developers.
• Advises on achievement of usability (including health and safety and accessibility) for IT products and services.
• Designs and builds integration components and interfaces. Leads practical integration work under the technical direction of the system /service designer. May contribute to the overall design of the service. May define the technical criteria for product/component selection. Contributes to decisions about tools, methods and approaches.
• Configures software and equipment and tests platform-specific versions of one or more software products. Reports the outcome of testing and identifies potential improvements to the process and to the software products according to agreed designs and standards.
• Undertakes routine installations and de-installations of items of hardware and/or software. Takes action to ensure targets are met within established safety and quality procedures, including, where appropriate, handover

to the client. Conducts tests of hardware and/or software using supplied test procedures and diagnostic tools. Corrects malfunctions, calling on other experienced colleagues and external resources if required. Documents details of all hardware/software items that have been installed and removed so that configuration management records can be updated. Develops installation procedures and standards, and schedules installation work. Provides specialist guidance and advice to less experienced colleagues to ensure best use is made of available assets, and to maintain or improve the installation service.

• Monitors service component capacity and initiates actions to resolve any shortfalls according to agreed procedures. Applies techniques to modify demand for a particular resource or service.
• Contributes to the availability management process and its operation and performs defined availability management tasks. Analyses service and component availability, reliability, maintainability and serviceability. Ensures that services and components meet and continue to meet all of their agreed performance targets and service levels. Implements arrangements for disaster recovery and documents recovery procedures. Conducts testing of recovery procedures.
• Reviews system software updates and identifies those that merit action. Tailors system software to maximize hardware functionality. Installs and tests new versions of system software. Investigates and coordinates the resolution of potential and actual service problems. Prepares and maintains operational documentation for system software. Advises on the correct and effective use of system software.
• Maintains application support processes, and checks that all requests for support are dealt with according to agreed procedures. Uses application management software and tools to investigate issues, collect performance statistics and create reports.
• Carries out agreed operational procedures, including network configuration, installation and maintenance. Uses network management tools to collect and report on network load and performance statistics. Contributes to the implementation of maintenance and installation work. Uses standard procedures and tools to carry out defined system backups, restoring data where necessary. Identifies operational problems and contributes to their resolution.
• Maintains the network support process and checks that all requests for support are dealt with according to agreed procedures. Uses network management software and tools to investigate and diagnose network problems, collect performance statistics and create reports, working with users, other staff and suppliers as appropriate.
• Ensures that appropriate action is taken to anticipate, investigate and resolve problems in systems and services. Ensures that such problems are fully documented within the relevant reporting system(s). Coordinates the implementation of agreed remedies and preventative measures. Analyses patterns and trends.
• Ensures that incidents and requests are handled according to agreed procedures. Ensures that documentation of the supported components is available and in an appropriate form for those providing support. Creates and maintains support documentation.
• Participates in assessments up to IEC 61508 Safety Integrity level 3 (or equivalent standard), and undertakes safety analyses on initial designs using HAZOPS, FMEA or similar methods.

Reporting Relationships:

• No direct reports.

Travel:

• Travel requirements will be minimal throughout the year
• Initially expect travel to Malaysia in 2017 and/or 2018 to participate and learn from the plant rollout.

Physical Requirements:

Hybrid Physical Requirements:

• Will sit, stand or walk short distances for up to the entire duration of a shift
• Will climb stairs on an occasional basis
• Will lift, push or pull up to ## Kg on an occasional basis
• Required to use hands to grasp, lift, handle, carry or feel objects on a frequent basis
• 20/40 vision in each eye, with or without correction, is required
• Must be able to comply with all safety standards and procedures
• May reach above shoulder heights and below the waist on a frequent basis
• May stoop, kneel, or bend, on an occasional basis
• Ability to wear personal protective equipment is required (including but not limited to; steel toed shoes, gloves, safety glasses, hearing protection.
• All associates working on the production floor may be required to wear a respirator at any given time and thus, the ability to wear a respirator is a condition of employment and continued employment.

Potential candidates will meet the education and experience requirements provided on the above job description and excel in completing the listed responsibilities for this role.   All candidates receiving an offer of employment must successfully complete a background check and any other tests that may be required.             

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement: First Solar is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values and respects the importance of a diverse and inclusive workforce. It is the policy of the company to recruit, hire, train and promote persons in all job titles without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a driving force in the success of our company.

Controls Engineer I ( Automation )

Controls Engineer II ( Automation )

Controls Engineer III ( Automation )